Mal gave a nod at Eir’s excitement over something so normal to him. Usually his people cursed the winter and it’s harsh weather that drove the leaves from their branches. In Phonaxian lore and religion winter was the time that the All-Mother took to rest herself before the rebirth of the earth. She must lay down and let the earth wither as she becomes pregnant with Spring. The meaning behind the season didn’t stop people from enjoying particular activities though; hot cocoa, skiing and playing with the ice. It would be fun to see if all again with Eir, taking a new perspective.
“Indeed, it will be fun. You’ll be here for the Estent Gurth Festival! Which means... short death festival. The goddess All-Mother at this time hibernates and the earth dies for a shirt time until she births spring. It’s... hard to explain. But the festival mourns the death of the earth before celebrating the All-Mother’s conception of the next spring. They say that the colder and harsher the winter, the more promise it shows for a successful spring. By the chill on the wind already, there would be much hope in our farmer’s hearts”

Eir’s question on navigating his parents made him blow air out of his mouth slowly as he thought. Honestly, he never seemed to please either of his parents. It was hard to come up with a straight answer, Mathias would be a better person to-
“I don’t think mother will be too hard to please... It’s father you have to worry about”
Mal blinked and looked behind Eir to see the man himself walking toward them. He gave Mal a once over and looked at Eir skeptically. Mathias was a broadly built man with similar features to Malachi. The relation was evident even if Mathias did favour his fathers cool suaveness.
“Ah, Mat. I wasn’t sure if you were going to be here or not...” his eyes travelled to his brothers arm, hung in a sling against his chest.
“Injury. They sent me home for respite. Eir’Asa- Welcome to our home. I am Mathias, it’s a pleasure to meet you” he gave a customary bow at the waist before straightening up. “Mother hardly needs much to be impressed, if you compliment her hospitality and beauty enough and can keep conversation interesting she’ll be fine. Father is a...”
“Unpredictable man” Mal finished “I would just suggest that you don’t directly oppose his opinions”
“But he keeps to himself often,” Mat added “So you really only have to worry about him during dinners and events. Which, due to our mothers socialite nature, occur often”
Mal looked to Eir and nodded in agreement. Mathias took in a small breath and glanced sidelong at his brother again, hand on the door.
“That hair cut is ridiculous. Could you not decide whether you wanted to cut your hair or not?”
Mal gave a grimace as Mathias went into the dining room and Mal made a face at his back.
“That’s rich...” he mutters before shooting Mal an apologetic look “Hahah... He enjoys trying to get a rise out of me. Lucky I’ve been training in self control in Glapera” he laughed.
“After you!” he said gesturing into the dining room.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Maaylithia gave a small shrug as she handed her husband a towel for his hands before going to the window while she waited for him to be ready. Her gaze was really on the horizon of the land surrounding their home that she could see from the window. The haze of the sky changing colours often made her feel melancholic and she shook the creeping feeling off as Hal addressed her.
“I would dare to say that it seems he has a congenial mix of both... Reserved but not cold. Witty but not arrogant. Though perhaps Malachi has schooled him in behaviour... I don’t remember getting along with Fen’Ora Aluanas too well”
In fact, when they had met the woman seemed almost snubbish. Of course it was a formal event, but at formal events one was at least obligated to try and hold some semblance of conversation.
“Mathias also arrived home today. An arrow wound in his arm, he assures me a healer has looked it over and said it wasn’t poisonous. He will be home for at least two months...”

As Hal checked his appearance over in the mirror, she took a moment to stand just behind him and do the same thing. The white gown glittered at the cuffs and hem with icicle like gems and her ears were adorned with matching earrings. Winter; the perfect mix of severity and beauty. Just like her whole aesthetic and how she adorned the home. Maaylitha was an icon to women all throughout Phonax and to be invited to tea with her or one of her opulent banquets was a privilege well sort after. All talk of her was about how sweet in countenance she was, how graceful and witty she was. When she wore a new hairstyle, it appeared more frequently among the genteel, when she changed her colour pallet, fabrics that matched acccordingly were hard to find. To everyone she was the perfect model of femininity and womanhood.
“Shall we go then, Sweet?” she said with a smile, taking his arm. Though her words were warm she only meant them in a way one might speak to a friend or close confidant. Long ago she had settled with Hal’s... temperament and decided she had to make do for her family and Hal’s. On most fronts the pair maintained the facade of a wedded couple but Maaylitha keenly sensed the lack of physical and emotional connection one should have with a lover. Of course, she couldn’t possibly say that to anyone- it would ruin their reputation -but she always felt it when the parties weren’t enough to keep her distracted and the wine she drank in her room couldn’t numb her desires.
On the most part, she was happy but there was always the part of her she felt caged by... most of the time.

On entrance to the dining room, Malachi gave his father a polite bow as did Mathias and they all sat. Halthazar sat at the head, his wife Judy beside him and Mathias beside her. On the other hand, Malachi sat beside his father and Eir beside him. Food was brought out; bright colourful bowls of vegetables, well prepared roots and tuners as well as salads and roughage.
“I shall speak the blessing...” Maaylitha said with a smile, bowing her head and closing her eyes.
“ All-mother bless Sen Aes that ci have given Men. Make Men humble a, bring Men wisdom that Men may Henia ci more. Min with I Amar Men live ah Min with I Amar shall Men Bel-”
It was the normal blessing one said over their food and Mal had mentioned it briefly to Eir, so he knew to say ‘ N- with ammen’ along with everyone else.

Spoiler: Translation (hover to show)

All-Mother bless this food you have given us. Make us humble and bring us wisdom that we may understand you more. With the earth with live and with the earth we die...

Malachi watched the exchange anxiously but with that placid look on his face. Everything was going mostly well. Of course he knew his mother would never outrightly be rude or decisive he wasn’t sure what things held in the long term. The fact she’d only critiqued his friends eyes and clothes was a blessing from the All-Mother as he had witnessed that Maaylithia was quite ruthless in private when it came to her opinion of others. He was glad when they were left to their own devices until dinner.
The affectionate name made Mal smile and he gave a nod, “Of course. How silly of me not to offer that- My mind’s in a bit of frazzled with us being home. Here come-“

The Hythian castle is a large and intimidating structure of white stone and tall spires but of course when one had learned to walk in its halls it becomes less of a maze. The structure somewhat resembled a cross inside a square. The main tower containing the dining halls, lavish ballrooms and larger spaces where the north, south, east and west towers/wings housed private quarters and the smaller places.
Mal led Eir first to the north tower.
“I think this might become your favourite place quickly as you learn our language...” he smiled at his friend as they stood on the bottom floor looking up. The library occupied most of the North tower, starting on the bottom floor and lining the round walls all the way to the ceiling. A gap in the wood at the second level of the library allowed one to peer all the way up. Of course it had railing to prevent an unfortunate accident, but even to Mal who had scaled the stairs many times, it made him a little queasy.
“The Hythian libraries... Generations of collections. My father had that large hole cut in the floor as part of the renovations when he became Lord of Phonax when his father died. He said it held a special place in his heart...”
Which now Mal said it aloud, it seemed odd because his father never spent very long in the library.

The South wing held both Malachi, Mathias and Eir’s quarters were where they quickly changed before the tour continued to the West tower where the kitchens were and the East tower where his mothers and fathers room was located. Each tower was complete at its highest point with access to the antichamber. Small rooms with a generous view of the gardens below. After the long and winding trip, they arrived at the centre once more now standing outside the closed dining hall doors.
“It seems a maze now, but I promise it’ll get better. Any questions?”
Malachi had chatted away nonstop as they wandered, unable to help the excitement of welcoming his friend to the home he’d told him about.

Maaylithia watched as Eir gave his formal bow and greeting, being in line with the formal greeting of their people. It would seem Malachi had been teaching him a few things if his rudimentary Sandarin was anything to go by. She quickly covered her snubbish look with a tight smile of welcome. With a wave of her hand most of the servants scuttled off to grab their things, only her handmaiden- who still eyed Eir curiously -remained at her side.
“I’m glad my dear son has been able to describe at least some of the beauties of our land, though I’m sure over the next year you will find many more. The All-Mother has blessed us greatly with a good harvest this year and soon the cold shall be setting in. Enough of that though- I’m sure you’re all exhausted and would like to get home”
She gestured with her hand to a lavish carriage that was coated in silver leaf and painted in rich blues; clearly a Hythian carriage. Maaylthia moved gracefully toward it as if her steps simply floated, only pausing for a pointed enough silence that had Mal rushing to open the door and help her in. He gave Eir a sheepish look and a shrug, moving by his side to whisper “You’re doing well my friend. Your Sandarin was practically-“
“Are you two boys coming or must we dawdle by the Portside forever, mmm? Chop chop”
Her accent was heavy with the rolls and grace of their natural language and it took Malachi a moment to readjust his mind to understand. Surely he hadn’t been in Glapera so long that even his mother’s voice sounded foreign.
Malachi gestured up into the carriage for Eir to sit by him. It was the four of them inside now; Lafy Hythian, her hand aided, Eir and Mal.
“I had been telling Eir’Asa about the snow during this type of year”
She nodded and smiled, “We freeze the lake by the great market square for people to skate on. It’s quite quaint really. More of a commoner thing of course-“
“But I’m sure we can try it” Mal interjected quickly.

Before long they reached the Hythian Mansion. It was a tall and intimidating structure made out of a very pale stone. Graceful columns lined the front of the building atop a dias of stairs. It almost looked as though the place were made of ice and snow. The gardens out the front were minimal and bore many gentle water features alongside Lily’s and luscious plants. The servants came behind them with their things into the great entry way.
If the Alunanas household was warm and bold, the decor of the Hythian house was cold and peaceful. Large white staircases, crystal chandeliers and the drapes that hung about in Hythian blue and silver.
“Welcome” Maaylithia began, gesturing around proudly. She was responsible for the styling of the mansion and took pride in the way she managed to liven up the old heirloom of a house.
“Where is father?” Mal asked. He’d expected that the male might make an appearance at their arrival but highly doubted it.
Maaylithia gave a tight smile and patted her son firmly on the back, “He’s busy at the moment-“ she looked to Eir in apology “Sorry for his rudeness but you shall meet him at dinner. Make sure you’re both dressed appropriately...”
Her eyes trailed the Glaperan style robes they both wore with a distant air of distaste.

Agnar Skyf-Khodit'
Location: Physically? Arcadia, Celestialan Tower. Mentally? Someplace else.
Accompanying: This bunch

Agnar gave a small smile at the woman, ears turning a bit pink as she used the nickname he’d so adamantly refused to begin with. Now he didn’t seem to mind so much. He listened to her brief but very full summary of her last week or so and nodded. He didn’t stare at her too long and resigned to bashfully rubbing that persistent scuff out of his axe-head as he always grew too shy if she paid him much mind.
His gaze switched to Genevieve and he quickly found that the attention Adair held needed to be directed elsewhere as their leader entered. He supposed he should sit in his proper place now in the same sort of chair Adair and the rest had sat in. He’d simply chose the stool as he was not a fan of the ‘offciality’ and pomp of the allocated seats. But seeing that there was quite a few newcomers he supposed it would serve as a way of introduction. He stood, the stool giving a slight groan at his mass and moved to the seat with his zodiac. It was an intimidating thing, a mass of welded steal with the ram’s head circled in flames but what was more intimidating to those who didn’t know him was his height. At 6’1’’ he felt as though he almost had to duck to avoid the opulent chandelier as he moved himself to sit. He glanced about and set his axe down, leaning it against the chair.
“Are we going to wait for the others before you tell us the agenda? Or can we start already?” It wasn’t rude or accusatory, just straightforward and blunt like he always was.

They came to a stop eventually and Nesryn folded her arms and looked at her husband with a small sigh. It warmed her that he couldn’t even bring himself to try and attack her, but it worried her that his tender nature might mean he would hesitate against a real enemy if it ever came to a fight. He showed promise with knives, but then again he’d seemed to hold back from her. She doubted very much that anyone else on this peaceful island had training like hers, so he was devoid of any sparring partners save her. Her stomach gave a small twinge of guilt as she imagined how beside himself he’d be if he found out that he was not only sparring his wife, but sparring his pregnant wife. Luckily she had decided to keep that under wraps until at least a month. At this point she estimated she was nigh on three weeks. Not late enough to ensure the safety of her child, but not too late that it would be upsetting when she revealed it.

She moved forward to lean up and brush his hair out of his face, “You’ve done well today hearts fire. If only you didn’t try and pull your throws...” she pressed a kiss to his lips gently and her hands did a cheeky little run down the front of his chest as she like to do occasionally. However, she paused her actions and drew back quickly, nausea welling up in her again. All-Mother why!?
She moved off to the edge of their yard to give an uncertain heave, nothing at first. But before a few moments she had quite emptied the contents of her stomach. She took Dimitri’s hand shakily and looked up at him with a gentle look at his worry. It was just morning sickness... but she remained aligned with her original ‘verdict’ from the healer.
“It’s okay, it just needs to pass through my system. It’ll be over soon enough-“

She would remember those words a few weeks later when she found herself in bed and unable to move for fear of making herself feel any more ill than she was. She gave a small whimper and reached to shake Dimitri awake.
“C-could you go get E-“ her request was cut off when she was forced to sit up and pull the bucket from under her bed the heave in. A groan escaped her and tears pricked her eyes.
Surely pregnancy wasn’t meant to be this bad-
She held her stomach and curled up with a whimper.

Damon came forward with a warm smile and nodded to both Vanessa and her friend, noticing the banter between them but not hearing a word of it. He had admired the performance greatly as she had sung well. Though he seemed to notice she didn’t sing as freely as she did out in the open air when no one was watching, this was definitely a performance for paying crowds. He gave a wave and then a small bow.
“That was a fantastic performance. The crowd loved it-“ he paused as he realised that made it sound like he didn’t like it “Oh- I-I liked it too of course. Very nice.”

He showed his palms face up, they were red with rope burn and he gave a sheepish chuckle, “Next time I shall bring my gloves, no?”

He stood there awkwardly a few moments as the women stared at him, “I uh- I should probably head home? I have an early start tomorrow, of course at the...” he remembered that perhaps his occupation wasn’t something he should mention. After all, Vanessa had introduced him as ‘Lord Roux’ which he was not of course. Perhaps it was best to share little of himself.

Mal was about to answer Eir’s well spoken Sandarin- he would miss the place greatly and endeavoured that once their reciprocated trips were up he’d have to venture across the border more often- when they were both interrupted by Eir’s grandmother. The Elvi grinned at the nickname she had bestowed upon him and gave a slight bow, the pair of ornate beads threaded into his now much shorter hair at his temples made noise with the movement. Gifts from very excitable women who begged him to stay and tell tales as they wove them in. He nodded in agreement as she complimented him on how he was much like a Glaperan. Malachi had of course turned an olive colour and it made his teeth seem much whiter and his eyes brighter but he could never look exactly like a drake. The sentiment warmed him some though and was glad both he and the matriarch had come to an understanding, even if it were mostly her giving jest at his expense.
“I thank you for your compliments but there would have been no progress if you did not welcome me so readily into your home- especially Eir” as he smiled warmly at his friend, he slung an arm about his shoulders affectionately to give him a squeeze “I promise to make sure he will be just as comfortable in Phonax” the second half of his sentence was more directed to Fen’Ora, as he had witnessed her to grow quite nervous about her son leaving the country.
When Eir’s father joined them, Mal gave a respectful dip of his head but paused when the sword was offered to him. Gingerly he took it in his hands, eyes marvelling at the ornate blade and it’s scabbard. It was a brilliant gift and with his keen eyes he didn’t miss a single detail of the ornate scrolling on the hilt. He felt emotion well up within him and struggled to find any words of thanks. He swallowed hard and looked at the four of them as he reigned in his feelings.
“I shall treasure this greatly” he managed in an awed and humbled whisper. He quickly strapped it to his hip and smiled at how he and Eir had matching blades. It was fitting really.

“I want to thank you all for what you have taught me. I shan’t be surprised if I am the ‘most learned’ Hythian when I return. Your people have astounded me with such rich culture and food. Your beaches are beautiful and I have grown used to the warmth here. It will sadden me greatly to leave”
A rumbled laughed cut into the circle of Aluanas and Ifram joined with Sehrish on his arm. Malachi was glad the couple had mended things between them and were on good terms once more. Ifram gave a bow to each of the Aluanas family and smiled, “It would seem the Golden Boys of Glapera will be dearly missed among the young women here. Sighs of mourning echo these halls”
Mal grinned and nudged Eir with an elbow, “Of course. Who wouldn’t miss the tender and charming words of this gentleman. He’s even learning to pen a few rhymes. Such a stud will surely be missed among the youth around here but what Glapera loses, Phonax shall gain”